Attitudes and perceptions of parents and staff toward the rapid hydration protocol prior to chemotherapy in children

Abstract

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario has implemented a rapid hydration protocol that may reduce the time required to achieve adequate hydration prior to chemotherapy. This study aims to assess parent satisfaction and the attitudes and perceptions of oncology staff with regard to the rapid hydration protocol. Patients who received both standard and rapid hydration were identified, and their parents were asked to rate the child's experiences on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Oncology staff were interviewed and common themes were identified. Parents perceived their child's experience with rapid hydration to be the same or better than with the standard hydration. Themes uncovered through staff interviews indicate an overall positive perception of rapid hydration, but there are some concerns with certain patients not meeting necessary urine parameters in a timely manner, and incorporating the rapid hydration preprinted order into the current chemotherapy preprinted order was a challenge. These results may be used to improve the current practice and inform hospitals planning to adopt rapid hydration, but further research is required to assess parent satisfaction.

Keywords: benefits; challenges; chemotherapy; performance improvement; rapid hydration.